I must confess, I’m not entirely sure how the New York Dolls have managed to put out an album of new material, what with most of them being dead and all, so I suppose I should be applauding the achievement. Frontman David Johansen and guitarist Sylvain Sylvain rally new Dolls around themselves for this, their most coherent album yet. Todd Rundgren’s production helps the band, but the cod reggae run through of classic track ‘Trash’ would be enough to kill off any other members still standing. Quite why they chose to go that route (other than perhaps having a well known track name on the cover) is beyond me. After reforming at the behest of Morrissey for 2004s Meltdown Festival, more releases seemed inevitable and this has been billed as a return to form, though aside from the rough and ready title track this is pedestrian stuff, lacking variety and, more importantly, the charm that made the Dolls such an exciting act to begin with. Perhaps, guys, it’s time to put the instruments down and enjoy what you achieved back in the day!Â
NEW YORK DOLLS – ‘Cause I Sez So
June 29th, 2009 | Published in Reviews
I must confess, I’m not entirely sure how the New York Dolls have managed to put out an album of new material, what with most of them being dead and all, so I suppose I should be applauding the achievement. Frontman David Johansen and guitarist Sylvain Sylvain rally new Dolls around themselves for this, their most coherent album yet. Todd Rundgren’s production helps the band, but the cod reggae run through of classic track ‘Trash’ would be enough to kill off any other members still standing. Quite why they chose to go that route (other than perhaps having a well known track name on the cover) is beyond me. After reforming at the behest of Morrissey for 2004s Meltdown Festival, more releases seemed inevitable and this has been billed as a return to form, though aside from the rough and ready title track this is pedestrian stuff, lacking variety and, more importantly, the charm that made the Dolls such an exciting act to begin with. Perhaps, guys, it’s time to put the instruments down and enjoy what you achieved back in the day!Â